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Abstract

This article examines facts beyond physical and psychological changes and explains the role social barriers play in affecting how people connect throughout their life journey. Beginning from the stage of an infant, which is all about dependency, to the stage of old age, humans come across limitations imposed by societal expectations (poverty, fear, conflict), unfair practices (prejudice, stereotyping, racism), power differences (imbalance in statuses), and prescribed roles. This analysis not only covers social barriers but also all types of communication barriers that arise throughout the seven stages of human life, which emerge from language, understanding, and social context. With the help of a close reading approach, this paper explores the language and imagery used by Shakespeare to represent these communication barriers. Erikson's Psychosocial Development Theory is utilized to create a foundation for understanding how emotional challenges in each stage further disrupt communication. The findings in this research paper highlight the struggle to build trust in infancy, the hardships of identity formation in adolescence, and the challenges faced in adulthood to build intimacy, with the fact that social and emotional barriers also block these.